Hoaxes & Myths About Privacy On Social Media

Social Media Privacy policy

Social Media Management In Vancouver Is Starting To Get Tricky, Watch What You Post!

These days, popular social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have become a major part of people’s daily lives. There is virtually no limit to the amount of web presence an individual can potentially have when they use these websites. However, what may seem like a fun way to share your private life with a community of friends online can actually have negative consequences in your professional life. Before you go and post that embarrassing high school photo or that link to a NSFW (Not Safe For Work) website, you may want to consider these facts about social media website policies and how they affect the content that you post.

What You Post is Public

Vancouver Social Media

Considering all the privacy statements you have to agree to before signing up for any social media account, you may think that everything you post can only be accessed by the people in your network. This is actually very far from the truth however, as the privacy policy on sites like Facebook and Instagram are not actually created to guarantee your privacy. This is not to say that your content is available to anyone who wants to see it, but it is still a good idea to keep track of what you post publicly. It is this public content that can be shared and reproduced and even sold by anyone who wishes. Recently, an artist named Richard Price sold other people’s publicly posted Instagram photos for up to $90,000; as a part of his latest art project. This was completely legal, since the pictures were slightly reproduced and were taken from Instagram profiles that were open to the public.

Having an Account is Consent

Social Media Privacy

You may have noticed (especially on Facebook) people advising their friends to post a legal notice on their social media pages designed to protect their content from being shared or reproduced publicly. These legal notices usually read as very formal and give the impression that they are legally binding, and will save you from having to share anything you post with people or companies you may not know. The truth about these so-called legal notices is that they in fact have no legal validity whatsoever. The truth is that by simply having a social media account, you have given consent for that site to make certain aspects of your account available to the public, as well as certain companies for the purpose of advertising and marketing.
With these facts in mind, you can start to be more aware about what kind of content you post online. Before you add anything to your social media account, think about exactly what you’re posting and who could potentially see it, such as a current or prospective employer. You should also keep in mind the fact that sites like Facebook share and store your content primarily for account security and to integrate marketing and advertisements geared to your interests. As long as you remember keep an eye on the content you post, you’ll never have to worry about your social media presence affecting your professional reputation.

Still don’t get it, check out this vid 🙂